2018 Lexus LS teased ahead of debut in Detroit - just like the original LS

2018 Lexus LS teased ahead of debut in Detroit

The new 2018 Lexus LS – based on the LF-LC Concept – will debut at the Detroit Motor Show in January, just as the original LS did in 1989.

It’s easy to declare the Lexus LS as a pretend luxury car, plagiarising the best of the Mercedes S Class and BMW 7 Series and wrapping it up in Japanese design and engineering.

But the LS is much more than that, and an all new Lexus LS is heading for a reveal at the Detroit Motor Show next month, although it’s not expected to go on sale until late in 2017.

Arriving in public exactly 28 years since the very first LS was revealed in Detroit, the new LS won’t be as big a game changer as the original was – propelling Toyota’s new Lexus brand in to the public’s consciousness and redefining luxury cars – but it does promise to be a more dynamic and appealing car than the current, now decade-old, LS.

Based on the LF-FC Concept from last year, the new LS will, unsurprisingly, come with a V8 Hybrid powertrain delivering up to 550bhp, be based on Lexus’s new GA-L Platform (which underpins the new LC 500) and showcase Toyota’s latest technology – including autonomous capabilities.

Rumour also suggests that the Lexus LS will be offered by 2019 as a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle too, which will be something of a challenge for Lexus to deliver the sort of performance a 550bhp hybrid V8 can from hydrogen to make it a credible offering.

More details, no doubt, when the new Lexus LS is revealed next month.